East London’s Moth Club is threatened by ANOTHER new housing development

There’s no where quite like Moth Club. I’ve personally spent many tipsy nights there, dancing to Deptford Northern Soul Club, banging my head at indie gigs, laughing at comedy shows and making drunken poses in the iconic photo booth.

The Hackney venue first opened in 1972 as a traditional servicemen’s club (the name ‘MOTH’ comes from the ex-military personnel group known as the Memorable Order of Tin Hats, who still meet in the venue to this day), and in 2015, the building was given a gold-glittered makeover. Taken over by events agency LNZRT, it swiftly gained a reputation for its excellent gig programming (previous guests include the likes of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, IDLES, Lady Gaga and Caroline Polachek), and became an absolute staple of the east London nightlife scene. 

But, as is often the story with music venues in big cities, its future is precarious. Back in September, we reported about a planning application for new flats opposite the venue on Morning Lane, which would look onto the back of the club. 

Now, another separate planning proposal has been submitted to Hackney Council to develop a block of flats on Morning Lane. The venue said in an Instagram post:

‘Both developments, if approved, put one of London’s most loved independent grassroots venues at serious risk, as well as impacting the identity of the local area.

‘These proposals have been deliberately split into two applications to avoid the obligation to include social housing. While we fully support the need for more social and council housing, building multi-story blocks towering over an independent venue like MOTH would have devastating consequences for its future. One of the planned blocks will have balconies directly overlooking MOTH’s smoking area and back onto the stage wall (see drawings) a move that would lead to conflicts, noise complaints, and a serious threat to the venue’s ability to operate.’

Moth Club is calling on the community to oppose these plans and keep the venue for future generations, asking them to sign and share a petition. 

Speaking about the planning application in September, Edie Andrews, Moth Club’s general manager, said:

‘It’s such a fundamental venue for the members, the community and the staff. It’s a real figure in the community that I think we all take for granted.’

‘We feel the block will create a real shadow over the venue. We put real effort into communicating with residents and try to keep our noise proofing as up to date as we can, but without disrupting the integrity of the space, we wouldn’t be able to completely noise-proof that section.’

‘People come from all over England and Europe to see gigs here. We welcome people like they’re coming into our living room. We really feel [the development] would ruin something we’ve all worked tirelessly for years to create,’ Andrews told us. ‘Flats are going up all over Hackney, and it’s like every little area of Hackney history is slowly being built over.’

What’s next? The applications are currently live, and planning officers from the council will assess the applications against relevant planning policies, guidelines, other material planning considerations and any representations about the proposals. We’ll keep you updated with the latest info when it comes in. 

Time Out has reached out to Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects for comment.

Find out more on Moth’s Instagram here.

Check out our list of where to go clubbing in the capital and the best gigs in London this month.

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